Foothills Sentry

ByAndie King |February 23, 2016

The Foothills Sentry reports that a long-time mecca for fishermen and families seeking outdoor activities, Irvine Lake, has been ravaged by drought and insurance woes that resulted in boats being prohibited. And now, ownership of its recreational rights have dealt yet another blow. According to Irvine Lake Contract CEO David Noyes, fishing may cease as early as Feb. 28.

ByDaniel Langhorne |February 2, 2016

The following is a story by the Foothills Sentry newspaper, a Voice of OC media partner covering Orange, Villa Park, Orange Park Acres, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Silverado Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon. This story was published in the Sentry’s January 2016 edition. A new slate of Orange residents, business owners and public officials convened for the first time in November, as part of a committee organized by Chapman University aimed at calming tense relations between students and neighbors. At its inaugural meeting on Nov. 5, the committee identified five issues it wants to address at future meetings: student housing, parking in areas surrounding the campus, party houses, university growth, and Chapman’s appointment of a primary lead person with whom the community can communicate.

BySentry Staff |January 21, 2016

The following is a story by the Foothills Sentry newspaper, a Voice of OC media partner covering Orange, Villa Park, Orange Park Acres, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Silverado Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon. This story was published in the Sentry’s January 2016 edition. Consultants hired to assess the viability of a school bond measure for 2016, and provide marketing ideas to help get it passed, presented their preliminary recommendations to the OUSD board at its Nov. 5 meeting. CliffordMoss spent the last several months on a “listening tour,” talking to district teachers, parents, school supporters, and community leaders.

ByDaniel Langhorne |January 21, 2016

The following is a story by the Foothills Sentry newspaper, a Voice of OC media partner covering Orange, Villa Park, Orange Park Acres, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Silverado Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon. This story was published in the Sentry’s January 2016 edition. An Orange County Superior Court judge handed Mark Wayland, trustee for the Orange Unified School District, a win Wednesday (Jan 6) in his lawsuit challenging the accuracy of the candidate statement of Gregory Salas for the March special election. Superior Court Judge Richard Luesebrink said there was “good cause” for Salas, who is running to represent the Anaheim Hills portion of the school district, to delete statements that he is a former OUSD governing board member and that he was endorsed by Wayland. The judge also ordered Salas to change a statement saying “if you return me to the OUSD board” to “if you elect me to the OUSD board.”

ByTina Richards |January 21, 2016

The following is a story by the Foothills Sentry newspaper, a Voice of OC media partner covering Orange, Villa Park, Orange Park Acres, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Silverado Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon. This story was published in the Sentry’s January 2016 edition. The revelation that Villa Park Mayor Diana Fascenelli was delinquent on medical insurance premiums paid through the city to CalPERS, the state-run carrier, has exposed the underlying vitriol between two city council “factions,” and a former city council member. Although Fascenelli made good on the $4,689 in back premiums, paid a $1,700 late fee, and issued numerous public apologies, the issue has dominated the last three Villa Park council meetings. Finance Director Michelle Danaher and City Manager Jarad Hildenbrand have assured both the council and residents that the late payments had no fiscal impact on the city.

ByTina Richards |January 21, 2016

The following is a story by the Foothills Sentry newspaper, a Voice of OC media partner covering Orange, Villa Park, Orange Park Acres, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Silverado Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon. This story was published in the Sentry’s January 2016 edition. The beleaguered North Tustin Specific Plan (NTSP) got a boost when the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved an amendment that removed a “senior residential housing” designation from a seven-acre parcel at 11901 Newport Avenue. The designation was created in 2011 to accommodate the Catholic Diocese of Orange and Kisco Senior Living’s plans to build a retirement facility on the property. North Tustin residents opposed the three-story complex, avowing that it did not comply with the specific plan. The plan does not permit commercial development northeast of 17th Street, and specifies single-story, single-family residences as appropriate for the area. The parcel, owned by the Catholic Diocese, was also zoned for a church or school, neither of which the landowner wanted to build.

ByTina Richards |January 21, 2016

The following is a story by the Foothills Sentry newspaper, a Voice of OC media partner covering Orange, Villa Park, Orange Park Acres, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Silverado Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon. This story was published in the Sentry’s January 2016 edition. The future of the Area 7 sewer system, located in North Tustin and El Modena, has become a case study in government agency overlap and jurisdictional deference. It illustrates why “process” is important, but can slow government decision-making to glacial speeds. What started as an unremarkable transfer of a local sewer system from the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) to the East Orange County Water District (EOCWD) has become a prize sought by two competing agencies that must meet the demands and schedules of multiple authorities with varying degrees of interest in the outcome.

Irvine City staff are asking questions about the future of idle portions of a proposed 125-acre veterans’ cemetery – possibly eyeing vacant parcels for commercial development. Veteran leaders are publicly worrying that an expected Tuesday vote to finalize a controversial land swap for the vets cemetery could be in doubt along with key aspects of the deal to bring a state veterans’ cemetery to Irvine.

FivePoint Holdings CEO Emile Haddad tells OC Insider Rick Reiff that he's ready to be part of the effort kick-started by Donald Bren's Irvine Company to woo the giant on-line retailer, Amazon, to Irvine. The discussion airs Sunday, Oct. 1, at 5 p.m. on PBS SoCal and is also broadcast on KDOC, Cox and YouTube.

Orange County Supervisors keep wasting precious time with an anemic response to the homelessness explosion along the Santa Ana riverbed and downtown civic center. With Hep A outbreaks prompting action in both LA and San Diego Counties, how much longer will it take county supervisors to step up and protect public safety in Orange County?